


Finding Stability

by LaterDays



Series: The Quad-rude-le Timeline [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A lot - Freeform, Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Armand | Mr. Tigs, Emma | Camberwell, Future Fic, Gen, Huuang, I've been sitting on this for literal months, Lupinn, Marc | Feilong, Rema | Bo Peep, Sorry Not Sorry, and not even time travel can change them, because I love alternate timelines, because sometimes you end up with fixed points of time, tagging the major character death as a precaution for... reasons, the idea was here around the same time as the fic this diverges from, tissue boxes are recommended, welcome to the bad end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 09:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16574075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaterDays/pseuds/LaterDays
Summary: When Marc was finally able to return home, he hoped he had changed the future to save his family, in addition to other heroes that had fallen in the fight against his brother. Sometimes, with the power of time travel, it's possible to alter the course of history and fix things. Other times, the universe creates a stable loop to maintain balance.Picks up near the end of Chapter 10 ofA Dragon In Time Saves Nine.





	Finding Stability

**Author's Note:**

> So, just a head's up so you all have fair warning: this is the Bad End for A Dragon In Time Saves Nine. The happy ending is on the main fic itself because I'm a sucker for happy endings. But the universe I established at the start was not a happy one, and I like messy, splintered timelines and exploring the "what ifs" down each path. In this case, I knew early on I wanted to explore an alternate ending to an already alternate timeline.
> 
> That said, I hope you enjoy this piece. And if you haven't read the first two fics in this series, you'll want to go read it to understand how we got to this point and some of the characters because I love shout outs to past works.
> 
> Yes, now. Before you go any further.

Marc took a deep breath to steady his nerves, then took a couple steps back from everyone. “Alright… here goes nothing. Just don’t do anything to make me come back and fix everything a second time.”

He laughed weakly at his own joke before closing his eyes to focus on the magical power coursing through him from both Miraculous. He could do this, he was going to get back to his own time.

“Guess it’s time to see if you’ll both be home,” he murmured, missing the way Chat’s ears flicked forward, catching everything he said. His eyes opened, focusing on the open roof in front of him, and he ran forward. He was two feet shy of the edge when he leapt into the air and activated his special ability. “TIME JUMP!”

The anket glowed copper once more, swirling up to cover Marc until the light flared, causing all present to shield their eyes. The second the light faded away, only a soft glitter of magic could be seen, before it blew off in the wind. The last trace of Marc in their time, until something shifting slightly over the rooftop caught Ladybug’s eye.

“What’s this?” she asked aloud, going over to pick it up.

Something folded in quarters. Had Marc dropped it? Curiosity got the better of her and she shifted to a corner of the roof where the light from a nearby streetlamp reached, allowing her to get a good look at it. If she knew what it was, she could determine if she should try to get it to him sooner instead of later. But the heroine was not prepared for what she found.

The picture had two teenagers, one of which was the boy they’d just seen off. The other was a girl with similarly dark hair pulled into a messy bun, and both were passed out on a comfy couch and leaning against a woman. A very familiar woman who seemed to be years older than the girl holding the photograph as her brain short-circuited and began the reboot process. Dozens of realizations hit her with the force of a speeding train. The story he’d told about his heroic parents, she was one of them. She’d just become friends with her future son. She was going to grow up and have three kids, one of which was going to become a villain and ultimately take her life. In a timeline that her son was trying to stop. No wonder he’d risked everything to save her, or that he knew Tikki. She’d clearly given up trying to maintain a secret identity from her future husband if her son knew Tikki from a distance.

But who was her future husband that she’d trust with this incredibly huge and potentially dangerous secret? Whoever he was, he had clearly accepted her as the powerful and respected heroine of Paris, as well as the living hot mess that she was outside the mask. As she pondered her future, she barely paid her partner any mind as he studied the picture, then reached over her shoulder to gently turn her wrist so the back was visible. Familiar handwriting scrawled over the back to read: _”My Lady curled up with our kittenbugs, Marc and Emma, after a purrfectly executed mission to strike a blow against evil. xo January 3, 2048.”_ Chat released her wrist as if he’d been shocked, though in a way, he had been. His Lady would marry someone who casually used cat puns.

It took a couple minutes for him to process exactly what this meant for his chances and his future with the incredible girl that he was gently leaning into as his eyes soaked up the words his future self had written. In that time, Ladybug finally snapped out of her own head and noticed a black clawed hand had her wrist in a loose grip and turned it to show… more future life spoilers. Spoilers that didn’t entirely surprise her. Of course she’d trust her dear partner with her identity, especially now that he already knew it. It lined up with Marc’s story, of his parents, great Miraculous users who’d been doing the hero thing for most of their lives.

“So… these are my future kids,” she whispered. “...Our future kids?”

“Marc seems like he’d be a good kid to have,” Chat replied with a roguish grin.

Then he paused, a sudden idea coming to him. Sure it was likely too early, but he had to try anyway. He released her wrist to step around and face her, and in one swift motion, he was tugging off his ring and kneeling down on the roof. Spring green magic glowed around him as Adrien knelt before her, holding up his ring.

“My dearest _Bug_ -inette, will you Mari me?” he asked.

The confident grin and puns all wrapped up in one teenage model-shaped package was too much at once, and after a couple seconds hesitation, she burst out laughing

“Adrien, you’re ridiculous!” she gasped around chuckles. “M-maybe ask me when we’re older.”

Plagg rolled his eyes and floated down to sit on Adrien’s shoulder.

“Well, kid, you tried,” he said. “How about we head home and get some ripe camembert now?”

Adrien shook his head and held up a finger, causing Plagg to puff up indignantly until he realized the boy hadn’t risen to his feet yet. Adrien reached up and took Marinette’s hand in his, and met her gaze as he schooled his face to a very serious expression.

“How about now?”

With a high-pitched shriek, she poked him in the forehead with a single finger and gently pushed him back.

“You are _absolutely ridiculous!_ ”

He transformed again and gave chase to Ladybug, shouting off an assortment of puns and proposals, criss-crossing Paris until they finally parted to go their separate ways. Adrien was determined to get a yes from her one of these days.

===

Marc had a horrible sense of deja vu as he was flung forward through the temporal vortex, and it held up as he felt himself fall onto solid ground. His head was spinning, and as he didn’t quite trust that opening his eyes or moving would do him any good, he relied on his other senses to get an idea of his surroundings. He’d landed in tall grass that tickled his face and ears as a breeze blew gently, carrying the scent of smoke. A campfire? A grill? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know exactly what it was.

He kept his eyes closed as he slowly moved his head to one side. Fresh air laced with smoke met his nose and immediately set him into a coughing fit. His eyes cracked open, and the world was fuzzy for almost a minute until a few blinks brought it into focus.

He could see the Eiffel Tower some distance away, so he was definitely in Paris. He just wasn’t exactly sure when. As his eyes traveled over his tipped perspective of the city skyline, he felt sick when he saw a giant plume of dark smoke billowing up from the direction of the government buildings. That couldn’t be a good sign. He had to get up and go see what was going on. He needed to put his hands on the ground and push himself into a sitting position.

He needed to take a nap for the next five years and hope everything turned out alright, because he felt like a limp noodle.

It was a repeat of his arrival in the past, but with more desperate urgency that screamed at him to go investigate, even when he had no energy left. If only he’d landed at home, someone probably would have noticed. But Huuang and Lupin were still holding his transformation. Maybe… just maybe if he could get his nunchucks, he could contact any active Miraculous user and get some help dragging his tired bones home. And some information on what happened while he was gone for… however long.

Marc flexed his fingers before inching his arm down to get his all-in-one tool by the chain that connected them. It took a couple tries before he caught the loop and gingerly tugged it up until he could set it by his face. He hated how it took him so long to open the phone function then dial around. None of his family answered. Neither did Rena Rouge, Carapace, or Queen Bee. He tried some of the Zodiac Miraculous users he remembered, but to no avail. Until he tried Sir Tigs.

“Tigs, you there?”

“Feilong?!” the usually unshakeable Tiger Miraculous holder exclaimed. That slight quaver in his voice wasn’t a good sign. “Where have you been?! Chat Noir and Camberwell have been out of their minds with worry over you! Bo and I too! --Wait wait wait, BO! BO GO GET CHAT!”

“Camberwell and… Papa?” he asked blearily. “What… what about Ma--”

“Don’t worry kiddo, we’ll come to you and bring you home,” Sir Tigs interrupted. “Just stay transformed as long as you can. It’s good to hear from you again.”

Marc had an uneasy feeling, but he was too exhausted to give it much thought. He struggled to stay awake, needing to see everyone coming for him. Mama would absolutely come, no matter how busy she was. That’s how she was with him and his siblings if they needed her. She was always there.

He heard his name called out as his line of vision narrowed. Several pairs of boots touched down from above, as did the silver tip of a retractable staff that he’d know anywhere. Somewhere above, he swore he heard wings, and with a smile he let himself drift off to the sound of both Miraculous giving off their first warning chirp.

===

When he came to, the first thing he realized was he was in his room. He was in his own bed in his own room. He gave each of his limbs an experimental lift and was pleased to find it took minimal effort. Before he could get himself out of bed, he noticed a mop of blond hair attached to a sleeping man flopped over onto his bed from the chair he was seated in. The visible scruff on his face led him to recognize his father who was in dire need of a shave. A flash of movement past his door caught his eye. Dark hair in a bun with some stray hairs fanning out at odd angles, a mechanical pencil driven through the hairdo, lavender blazer jacket with tails…

“Em,” he croaked, her name half-stuck in his throat. Goodness… when was the last time he had water? He did what he could to swallow and pull what moisture he could from his mouth.

 

Luckily, his sister heard and she poked her head back into view.

“Marc! You’re awake!” she exclaimed in a whisper.

She tiptoed in and sat down on the foot of the bed. Now that she was closer, he could see the dark circles under her eyes, the concern on her face as her eyes darted over to their sleeping father, before going back to him.

“I’m glad he’s sleeping… his sleep schedule has been absolute garbage since… well…”

She trailed off and her hands lifted up, waving as if to summon words she wasn’t sure fit what she wanted to say. They fell into her lap, then down to the bedspread, where they fidgeted with the material.

“Emma, what day is it? When did I get back?” he asked, trying to keep his voice low.

“It’s… well…” she began, casting her gaze around, as if trying to remember. “It’s… August twenty-first, twenty forty-eight.”

Marc had to clap a hand over his mouth to stifle a yelp of alarm. He tried to remember his short chat with Sir Tigs, but it felt like a fever dream. Something about everyone being worried. If time was preserving when he left in the timeline he’d originally come from, that meant he’d been missing for months. What if Mama was out looking for him! She could be anywhere in the world! Now that he thought about it, where was André? Surely if he changed enough his brother wouldn’t have turned to evil. Unless something else happened?

“I was in the past the whole time,” he murmured, more for her sake. “I didn’t know time would carry over like that. I’m sorry for worrying everyone, but I had to try and fix the present. Mama told me to. She can explain that much. Where… where is she?”

The silence lasted a beat too long and a sense of foreboding and dread filled the room until he swore it had the power to permeate his lungs. Emma bowed her head and he saw her body expand with a deep, steadying breath.

_No._

He barely heard his name, spoken so softly and gently, he swore she sounded like Mama in that one instant. That voice she had always used whenever she had really bad news to share, but wanted to ease the impact on delivery.

_No. No. No._

“Marc…” she began again, forcing herself to look him in the eyes, her own starting to shine with tears. Somehow, it was ten times worse coming from her when she looked so much like Mama, especially with her longer hair pulled up. “She… Mama’s gone. She’s been gone since… since the day you left.”

He felt cold and hollow inside. Every ounce of hope and warmth gone in a split second. Snuffed out like a candle, sucked from every inch of his body. Cold. Like their mother’s life. Tears trickled down his face as he struggled to contain the howl of misery fighting to escape him. He thought going into the past was supposed to fix this! Mama was supposed to be alive again! André wasn’t supposed to kill her!

“Wh-what about André? The other Miraculous heroes?” he demanded through barely restrained sobs. “I was supposed to go back and change the future so they’d be alright! André wasn’t supposed to turn evil and k-- and… o- _oh God_ …”

The words almost choked him, they were too thick and heavy on his vocal cords and he couldn’t push them past his tongue. Marc leaned back into his pillows, the ache in his heart becoming too much to bear. Emma chewed on her lower lip, shoulders shaking as she tried to silence her own tears. Silently, she rose from the bed and skirted around their soundly sleeping father to sit up closer to his head, where she leaned over to pull her brother in for a hug. The gesture proved to be too much, and the floodgates burst open. He let his despair pour out into her shoulder as she rubbed his back, not caring that she was crying with him.

Neither of them knew they had woken up their father until his arms wrapped around them both, offering the comfort they needed.

“We’ll make it through this, Marinette… your mother would have faith that we can.”

The slight waver in his Papa’s voice was the final crack. Raw grief that he’d tamped down on during his time traveling adventures broke through every barrier he had put up, and several more he hadn’t been fully aware of. He cried and cried, surrounded by what remained of his immediate family. This time Marc could allow his heart to shatter into millions of tiny shards. There would be time after to put it back together and be strong.

He could do it, because he was his Mama’s child.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for joining me on this adventure! I have plans for a lighter follow-up to A Dragon In Time Saves Nine, but it's not complete. When I finish it, I'll get posting, but I don't have an ETA for it. So for now, take care my dears, and I'll see you around the interwebs!


End file.
